Ma Reine
by Mer Berceuse
Summary: An arranged marriage does not go as planed when an inside attack pricks the peace in Hyrule.
1. A Charming Pig

_Hey this is my first fan fic so please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks enjoy!_

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**Chapter 1 **

**A Charming Pig**

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White curtains danced gently in the light breeze that flew through the open window where Zelda was lounging. She had pulled her legs up to her chest trying give herself a small comfort from the harsh future she has yet to face. Birds sang an intoxicating tune so sweet and light that it made the young Princess want to drift off away from her duties, but sadly she was trapped in her palace chamber awaiting the news for what unbelievably, snobby prince she shall marry.

The young teen had met with many princes over the past couple of months; each one more annoying than the last. She knew she had to marry one of the pompous puppies, that is what was best for the kingdom, well in her fathers eyes. She on the other hand thought it would be better to rule the land by herself, but no matter how much she tried to bargain with her father he said running the kingdom by herself simply wasn't done.

A light tap on the door awoke the troubled girl from her thoughts. She stood, smoothed the wrinkles that had formed on her light blue dress, and let out a gentle, "Come in."

The door cracked open to a young, servant girl with deep, brown eyes and flushed cheeks. She bowed and tentatively announced that her father wished to see her in his study. Zelda felt the blood drain from her face and her palms begin to sweat. She cleared her throat, sighed, and then smiled sweetly at the little girl, "Tell him I shall be there in a few moments." she calmly answered her, "Thank you for informing me, you may go now." The girl nodded and turned to go, but then hastily remembered she had forgotten to curtsy, and gave a clumsy dip.

Once she left the young monarch chucked softly wishing that she could travel back to when she was small like the little servant. Zelda padded towards the vanity in the corner of the room. She smoothed her lengthy, blond hair down that was puffing out in awkward angles then stared blankly at her reflection. Fighting off tears that threatened to spill from her crystal, blue eyes, Zelda shook her head and squeezed her lids shut trying to block out the thoughts the hung on her mind like a thick fog.

Zelda meandered through the hallways purposefully trying to get herself lost in the complicated pathways of the castle. The walls seemed to tilt in as if they would fall and crush her, and to tell you the truth the Princess almost wished they would. Her thoughts wandered to whom her fiancé might be. Zelda prayed that it was not the Zora Prince; he had a pungent smell of fish latched to him and all he ever talked about was his shell collection the entire time he had visited. Nor did she wish for it to be Prince Ian for he had problems she would rather not discuss.

Almost too soon she arrived at her destination. She stood in front of the large door, took a deep, shaky breath and raised her pale knuckles to knock on the polished, oak wood entrance. Before she could even lay a hand on the door it flew open revealing the King with an overjoyed, childish expression.

"By the Goddesses! Where is that child of mine I must tell h- Oh! Zelda my dear, good, no, great news!" the King boomed enthusiastically his voice echoing down the corridor. Zelda stood still with a shocked expression her hand readily raised to knock on the now non-existent door. The father grabbed his daughter barbarically and pulled her into the study. She stumbled as he practically dragged her towards the middle of the room. This is when Zelda noticed the other man by the desk. She hastily tried to compose herself and gave a quite ungraceful curtsy almost falling over to one side; the man chucked and bowed deeply.

She gave a death glare to her father furious at him for making her look like a fool, but then noticed she had never met this prince before. Her eyes found their way back to the Kings, mixed with concern and confusion of who this person was.

"Zelda, this is Prince Link from Vaillance." introduced the monarch. Link was a handsome man with dirty blond hair and kind, ocean blue eyes that sparked like lanterns at a festival. He was dressed in a simple, forest green tunic with a brown cloak wrapped around his shoulders.

"A pleasure to meet you Princess." Link greeted kindly taking Zelda's hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it. His lips were soft and his hand felt warm and strong.

"The pleasure is all mine." she replied with a blush blossoming over her face.

"Link is the son of King Lennard who I didn't even know had any children till about a week ago, between the two of us we thought you would be a good match, hence why he is standing before you today instead of any other prince." Zelda's father laughed giddily. "Now why don't you show him around the castle Zelda?" The King continued while quickly pushing the teens out of the room, "You know, bonding time to get to know each other and what not."

"Fathe-" Zelda tried to yell flustered and frustrated, but was cut off rudely by a heavy brown door slamming in her face.

She turned around slowly towards Link not really knowing what to say. She shuffled and clenched the sides of her skirt like a lifeline; looking down awkwardly.

"Well that was rather rude?" he laughed out wholeheartedly interrupting the thick silence. Zelda sunk her head even lower in shame of her father. "You know," he put a finger under her chin and lifted her head to look at him, "I wouldn't mind if you showed me the castle Princess." His eyes twinkled with a mischievous glint; he held out his arm and smiled down at the blushing girl.

She hooked with his strong arm and stuttered out an agreement. They walked together down the hallway a short distance before they came to a lush courtyard filled with flowers of all kinds and a crystal clear fountain in the middle.

"Shall we go outside?" he questioned Zelda, "Its a nice day and I would like to enjoy it." She looked at him and nodded silently not trusting herself to say anything without looking stupid. "What's wrong my Princess cat got your tongue."

They padded towards the fountain while Zelda thought a moment to organize her words into something that would make sense. "I'm just not feeling very well." She stated lifting her head up and closing her eyes enjoying the slight breeze of the garden.

"Not feeling well? Then shall we go to the bedroom for there is fun things we could do there too." Link teased hoping for a reaction. Zelda's eyes popped open and pushed him away disgusted, he had gotten one.

"You pig!" she screamed and swung her hand attempting to slap him, but the pursuit was stopped by a hand catching her wrist and pulling her close.

"Woah there Princess I was just kidding." he chuckled out in a defensive tone dragging her snug against his chest.

"Let me go!" Zelda demanded while pounding his chest, "Never in my life have I been handled so roughly and barbarically you will let me go this instant or I will call for guards!"

"Then I guess I'll have to shut you up with a kiss." He teased once again putting his face dangerously close to hers. The Princess then went silent and tensed in his arms. She then noticed, in the moment of calm, how he smelled like a forest in the spring time, how charming his smile was and how gently he held her. She felt her body relax and lean into him. Her heart was hammering so loud she was sure Link could hear it. The Price cupped her cheek gingerly; brushing his thumb over her lips and ever so slowly leaned in. Zelda's eyes drooped feeling his hot of breath over her lips, right before Link captured her lips he let go of her and stepped back. Turning away from the dazed and slightly limp Zelda he walked casually back down the hall.

"Hope you enjoyed the taste of what I can do to you," he paused and look over his shoulder with a suggestive smirk, "My Princess."

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_If the story goes well I hope to have a chapter up every one to two weeks, thanks for reading!_

_ - Mer Berceuse_


	2. Castle Shadows

_Hey Mer Berceuse here sorry it took me so long to update I had writers block and semester finals. :( But I'm done now! YAY! Here's a kinda longish chapter. Please R&R I could really use all the helpful comments to make the story better. Thanks! Love Ya!_

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**Castle Shadows**

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"Princess!" A distant voice called to her, "Princess please wake up!" The tone was firm and hushed. Zelda opened her eyes groggery; a blurry image of a boy with sandy blond hair hovered over her. She was not in the mood to see the cocky, smoothing talking prince after their last meeting, so she simply glued her eyes shut and waved him off letting out a groan of acknowledgement. "Princess we don't have time for this." His voice was sharp and urgent like the swinging strikes of a blade.

"What's the problem." She mumbled stifling a yawn and turned her back to him, "I'm all open ears."

Link grumbled and dragged his hands over his face exasperatedly. "Princess you must come with me now." He stuck out his hand to help her up. "We don't have much time left."

Zelda laughed and completely ignoring his hand. "Like I'd go anywhere with you!"

"Fine then this was your choice, so don't complain!" Link pulled Zelda towards him and quickly forced her body over his shoulder like a flour sack in the palace kitchen. She squealed irritatedly at being handled so roughly, which made Link think of a newborn piglet, and kicked at the air while throwing her fits at his back. "Princess if you don't want to be killed I suggest you stop making such a racket." He said as if her tantrum was nothing but childs play, as he walked out the door of her chamber.

Zelda's fits stopped swinging, and her eyes got wide as she immediately quieted, shaken by Links comment. "What do you mean by… killed?" she questioned. Link shifted her position off his shoulder to in front of his chest not having any initiative to answer her question. Moonlight still danced through the stained glass windows of the corridor casting silver light beams through the spring air in cool streaks. She looked up at Links face the slivers of moon illuminated his features, his brows were sewed together in focus but his eyes glimmered in a desperate need for something. He looked around every so often as if something would seep out of the shadows. " Link…" His named slipped from her lips like water from a pitcher, "What's going on?" He glanced down at her smiling slightly, pulled her closer to his chest, and quickened his step.

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Links feet padded through the hallway echoing; with his steps in a steady rhythm. "You know I can walk for myself." Zelda stated rather blankly her arms folded across her chest.

"I'm well aware of that Princess." Link sighed not looking at her.

"Then let me down."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I could never let my pretty princess get hurt now, could I?" Link sounded sarcastic but yet sincere at the same moment. She scoffed and wiggled in his arms restlessly.

His muscles than tensed as he looked around. His eyes scaned the hallway like a hawk for its prey. Something was there. Link set Zelda down on her bare feet, which chilled her toes like a fresh spring, and drew his sword.

"Thank you for finally obliging my requ… what do you need that for." she said gesturing at the weapon, alarmed. Silence answered her. Link was intently looking at a dip in the gray stone wall concealed by darkness; his sword reassuringly rested in his hand.

"Come out I know you're there." He threatened, eyes dark and menacing towards the figure, "stop cowering in the corner."

"Well it seems I'm found out." slithered a voice slick and deadly like a poisonous snake. The figure stepped into the moonlight; she had a dark, exotic beauty that could captivate any man; tan skin, golden eyes. A gerudo. "If you give me the Princess I might not kill you." She readied her two swords that glimmered like water.

"Not a chance desert scum." Link insulted pulling the frightened Zelda behind him.

"Oh we have a tough one I might just have to call for backup." The gerudo woman teased.

"You're bluffing." He confidently lifted his sword, "Are you really that scared to fight me?"

"Smart too. It's a shame to kill you."

Zelda watched on behind Link. She felt like she was being tossed about an ocean; completely helpless and unknowing of what to do. Her hands shook and her legs felt like they were going to fail beneath her.

The gerudo woman advanced at Link at a frighteningly quick speed her hooked blades raised. Link lunged at her missing her middle by meer inches. She brought her swords down on him which he met with backhand swing. They both jumped back. Their pants filled the air trying to catch a quick breath. Link launched first swinging his broadsword up and over his head and brought them down to her thin crossed blades. She might be faster but he was in no doubt stronger. He pressed down on her pushing her further, and further back.

She noticed a slim opening and risked the chance to hit him and moved her other blade to cut into his skin. It ate the cloth along his midsection and sliced clean into his skin. "Shit." He gasped his hand clamping over the wound; he brought it back covered with sticky, dark red blood.

In a last attempt to win Link swung his sword three times; the first two missed slicing through the heavy air, but the last one found its mark and dragged diagonally across the woman's chest. The gerudo wailed, and in panic she struggled to return standing, but failed. Blood pooled around her as she sucked in shaky, gasping breaths on the ground. Link couldn't look at the woman beneath him as he lifted the sword to end her life right there. He let the blade fall into her chest and listened to the stuttering last breaths. Link hated killing but that was for Zelda.

He dropped his sword letting it clang against the stone floor, and dragged himself to the cowering Princess. She sat with her back to the wall and her head in between her knees as she covered her ears with dainty hands. He gently pulled her wrists away from her ears and whispered, "Zelda… Its ok… I'm here." She lifted her head to see his face. Her cheeks were blotchy and her eyes were swollen and red; Zelda threw herself at him, "What's going on?" she whimpered into his chest her voice broken.

Link shook his head and lifted her up. "Come on Zelda, there might be more." Zelda looked behind him to see the once tan gerudo and pale as a sheet and as still as silence. Link blocked her line of sight and took her hand as he lead her away from the body. He picked up his sword and they set off at a light jog towards the horse stable.

The scent of hay reached filled the surrounding area and the warm glow of torches welcomed them. Link went deeper in the stable till he reached the third stall to the right where he led out a beautiful, light brown mare saddled and ready to go. It pawed the ground and huffed out into the chilly night air in greeting.

He gestured for Zelda to come to him and carefully lifted her onto the great mare by her waist. Link jumped on behind her gathering the reins and gave a good kick to the side of the steed.

Together they bolted out into the foggy morning. They rode hard though Hyrule field where Zelda passed the time watching the blur of colors blow by as the horse galloped. The ground was covered with dew which was kicked up and made the hem of her white sleep gown grow cold with muddy water. They didn't stop until Link pulled the horse to a stop by a stream in a forest.

Link slumped off the horse holding his side, his face scrunched up in pain. He staggered to the nearest tree to rest on before he slid to the soft damp earth.

"Link? Are you ok?" Zelda said worriedly as she slid out of the saddle. When Her bare feet hit the ground she ran towards the weakened Prince to set him on the ground under a large tree with a small stream bubbling next to it.

"I'm fine… It's nothing…" he panted covering the cut more with the edges of his tunic.

"Let me see it now Link." Zelda murmured in a threatening tone. She yanked his protesting fingers away to see his yelled out from the biting pain. The cut was deep but thin; blood dripped out of it at a worrying pace. "Damn you Link! Why didn't you tell me sooner!" She yelled frustrated tears rolling down her face as she kneeled next to Link.

"I didn't want you to worry" Link whispered before letting his eyes roll back and his body slump against the dark black bark of the tree.

Zelda shook him desperately; after all those lessons in healing back at the castle all she could do was sit there and cry praying to the goddesses for him to wake up. "Please Link, I need you." she sobbed, "Please Link…"

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_HAHA CLIFF HANGER! _

_Hey hoped you enjoyed it I'll try to get chapters up more often... maybe... review please! _


	3. Withered Place

_Hey! So this chapter is kinda short but at least it's somthing! - Mer Berceuse_

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**Chapter 3**

**Withered Place **

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"Link…" Zelda whimpered quietly; never in her life had she seen such a broken body. He had skin whiter than the fleece of a newborn lamb and a gleam of sweat surrounded his body. His cut was getting infected, that much Zelda could tell, and if she didn't get help soon she was sure he would die.

The Princess stood up from the unconscious boy; completely confused of everything that had happened since their morning escape. Questions that couldn't be answered hung around her head like branches of a willow tree. She bawled her hands up in her night-gown, that she had torn short to bandage Link's wound, and kicked the ground flinging dirt and sand into the air. "Dammit Link, what's going on!"

A light drizzle of rain trickled down from the sky making everything damp with an unpleasant cold, and the trees seemed to hang down with depression, their leaves like withered light. Everything seemed to be gray and lifeless like an old cemetery. Zelda felt dead herself, completely useless to her unwanted fiancé.

"This is your fault!" she screamed down at the unmoving body tear droplets rolling down her face, "If you had never come maybe none of this would've happened…" She ran her hands through her hair, "I might have been dead too though."

Zelda twisted her head to the right where the brown mare that they had come on was positioned under a wiry tree. She had already search the creature for any supplies it might have had on it to help, but unfortunately nothing was found. Zelda looked down at Link and debated whether she could lift him on the horse or not so they could ride to the nearest village to find help, but quickly shot that down knowing very well that her arms would do no such thing.

The poor girl plumped down next to Link her head buried in her hands; messy, golden locks draping around her shoulders like a curtain. A strong breeze blew shaking the tree's branches in a chorus of scratchy singers with the solo of the whistling wind. Zelda settled Links head on her lap like a pillow trying to make the suffering prince comfortable, and brushed locks of hair off his sullen face. She could still feel him breathing in short gasps while his body attempted to fight the infection flowing through his veins.

She rested there her eyes fixated on him for any signs of consciousness; any sign for life. "Don't die, goddesses, please don't let him die." The princess was losing hope she couldn't do anything else besides change his bandages and pray.

Zelda remembered when she was little girl, that her father would gather her in his strong, protecting arms and sang what he called a magic, healing lullaby when she had hurt herself. The melody soothed her like a refreshing glass of water on a hot summer day, but she was a child then, there was no magic in the simple lullaby, no healing powers. Yet the desperate girl cradled the boy in her arms and sang the hypnotic tune with more pitiful tears gathering in her eyes.

"Listen poor wounded fighter

put down the sword at your side.

Let your burden get lighter

and swallow your unruly pride.

Hear this song of healing,

to help deplete the pain,

cover the sense of feeling,

and ease the burning strain."

She sang till her throat was dry and raspy; weeping over him in hiccuping gasps, but never did she dare stop.

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The cart bounced along the overgrown, dirt path around the far edge of Inderdit Forest. Its sturdy wooden wheels lugging that months trade goods from the family farms crops. Meg pulled back her black stallion's reins halting the cart to a stop. She looked up to the sky, gray clouds covered blue in a thin sheet hinting for a light rain. Sighing she left the horse to cover her cargo with a thick wool blanket. Her village, Paix, was not even two miles away from her location, but it was better safe then sorry to protect the goods. "We're almost there Razo, just a couple more miles." Meg patted her pets neck while swinging over into the saddle. Razo whinnied as if he was relieved; she laughed as they headed off again.

A scratchy tune reached Meg's ears the sound was weak and broken… the sound of an easy meal. Yes, it might be cruel, but when you have people to feed you get over it fast. She pulled out her bow and an arrow from a sling hanging off her back, and silently strided towards the dying thing. The huntress notched her arrow and listened closely to her surprise the noise wasn't something dying but singing. It was jagged, and broken but it could be heard; a terribly dry voice murmured quietly like a brook.

Meg's sight opened up to a small clearing dotted with trees and a small stream with a horse drinking from it ran through the middle. Under one of the trees shivered a girl with stringy, blond, hair leaning over something. After getting closer to the stranger she noticed the girl was not alone, she was hovering over a boy with a dark red streak along his stomach.

"Oh my…" Meg dropped her weapons and jogged towards the couple, worry written all over her face, " Is he alright?"

Zelda jumped at the sound of another person's voice and turned to see a girl a little older than she with dark brown, curly hair, friendly brown eyes, and freckles dotting her nose and cheekbones. "Hey are you guys okay?" The girl stepped closer.

The princess smiled in relief, A person! someone who could hopefully help! Joy filled her chest; maybe everything would be alright. "Please help me!" her voice was coarse and her throat hurt like hell, " He's injured… and I can't… I can't help him anymore." Zelda coughed her body jerking violently.

"Hey, take it easy." Meg replied calmly, "Okay? come with me." Meg tried taking her hand.

"Link…" Zelda choked out clinging to the princes body.

"We'll get him, come on now stand up."

The princess reluctantly stood up slowly. Meg went to get the mare by the stream and lead it back to the poor strangers. "Is she yours?" Meg waved to the animal. Zelda nodded crouching over Link. Together Zelda and Meg both successfully struggled to plop the boy onto the mare. "It's alright now we'll get em fixed up." Meg picked up her bow and led the pair out to the road where the cart and the stallion were waiting.

"You can ride Razo, I'll walk." The farm girl helped Zelda into the saddle with little difficulty. "what's your name?" she questioned.

Zelda pondered for a moment, should she tell her that she was the Princess?

shaking the thought from her head she decided against it. "It's Tetra." The huntress nodded.

"Meg." she replied looking sadly at the young broken girl.

"Thank you… Meg." Zelda coughed out. The trio continued down the road; the only sound heard were the heavy steps of the horses and creaking turning of wheels.

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_Hey hope you enjoyed this really short chapter! I wanted to get something up before the Holidays. Please REVEIW beacuse I'm stuck with major writters block... I need ideas, comments and constructive criticism! _

_Love Ya! Happy Holidays! - Mer Berceuse_


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